Shopaholic Takes on Motherhood
by fernadel17
Summary: After 18 years since Becky gave birth to her daughter, Minnie, she is now grown up! Becky is still the same Shopaholic and Luke is the same old Workaholic. What happens when Becky realizes that her daughter's expenses are worse than hers? Read and Review!
1. Chapter 1: Same Old Becky

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM SHOPAHOLIC SERIES.  
BUT THE PLOT IS ALL MINE ;) **

_First fan fiction. Please be friendly to read and review. If you like it, tell me so. THANKS!_

* * *

**CHAPTER 1: SAME OLD BECKY**

"Minnie, darling, are you ready?" I say loudly to capture the attention of my eighteen-year-old daughter who's upstairs. My husband, Luke, looks at the food I've set on the table. "Wow Becky. You've really outdone yourself!"

I give him a small smile and a little shrug as if to say, "Oh well." But actually, I didn't cook any of the food at the table. It was all Suze. Well, I didn't mean Suze cooked it, she's worse than I am. To be accurate, Suze recommended this woman who owns a small food house a few kilometers from here and cooked all this food. But Luke needn't know that.

In about a few minutes, Luke and I will be meeting Minnie's boyfriend. I'm feeling kind of excited, to be honest. I wonder what he looks like. The only thing I know about the boy is his name. Aldred. No, Alex. Or was it Alvin?

Oh shit. I forgot his name. Luke stares at the beef steak, pot roast and pasta and looks at me with admiration.

Okay, I know you should be honest to your husband and everything . But if Luke actually tasted my cooking, we might have a divorce. Yeah, I know. That's how terrible my cooking is. I _knew_ I should've listened to during my Home Economics class. Oh well, too late for that now.

"Coming! Coming!" I hear Minnie say. Luke and I stare at her and I feel my breath being taken away. That's her. My beautiful darling daughter all dressed up. Oh God, I think I might cry… I look at Luke and I'm sure he feels the same. Our daughter is all grown up. It seemed like yesterday when she was just a few months old attempting to walk and always falling flat on her bum.

"How do I look?" She fixes her dress anxiously, her long hair looks as soft as silk and her Vera Wang dress fits her perfectly. "You look really beautiful, darling." Luke says. Is it just me or did his voice sound a bit wobbly? I study his face and he looks as if he wants to burst into tears. _Okaaay.._I shouldn't be thinking about this.

"You look wonderful!" I say a little too loudly. "Minnie, darling! You should've put on a pair of earrings! Your ears look bare!" She stops fixing her dress and slaps her hand to her forehead. "Drat! I forgot. Mum, what am I gonna do?"

I scrutinize her outfit and shoes properly. They look perfect on her. "Ooh! I have these new gorgeous pair of earrings that will suit you! It's on top of my dresser. Get it quickly!" Minnie gives a little squeak and goes back up to the stairs to retrieve my earrings. I turn to Luke.

"Becky? A new pair of earrings? I thought we agreed that we would spend less and stick to another budget. With your shopping expenses _and_ Minnie's, we might have to sell the house in a week." Luke says disapprovingly. I roll my eyes at him. Is he seriously bringing this up? Again, and now? "Come on, Luke. Stop exaggerating. It's not like I buy new things every single-" I stop short.

Okay let's see…I bought the earrings earlier, a pair of shoes for Minnie yesterday, a few charm bracelets the day before that. And the day before that, I went on a shopping trip at Georgina's with Minnie.

And the day before that, there was the pizza party Suze and I hosted (Ha! I knew those Pizza Party handmade cards I bought in New York would come in handy someday). And the day before that, my half sister Jess and I visited the Victoria and Albert Museum. At least I had a day without shopping for anything. It's absolutely right. That was the day I bought those new pans and pots, wasn't it? And I gave Minnie a few pounds last week to buy herself a new dress. Damn.

I look at Luke and sigh. "Okay, fine. I'm not exactly thrifty. But Luke, I can't just spend a bloody day without any…spending! How can I live in this world when I can't even do the only thing I love? How? And anyway, people hate thrifty people and skinflints who insist on making their own coffee which taste revolting."

He raises an eyebrow. "Becky, stop overreacting. And Jess is thrifty, isn't she?" I raise my voice a little higher. "Exactly my-." I stop short once again. Oops, I shouldn't have said that. I mean, I love Jess. I really do. It's just that she's too _frugal_. There was even this time when we had a little fight when I called her a boring old cow and a skinflint with zero dress sense and she called me a spoiled brat… But anyway, that's all behind us now.

But Jess insists on being thrifty. I tried being thrifty once and it was fun. But it only lasted for a few weeks. It just gets boring and having to stick bits of soap together to make a really big lump is really revolting. But really, I love her even though we're different. And I'm happy that she's happily married to Tom, who was my next-door neighbor and fancied me. He wasn't my type. He had smelly breath and big hands.

But he and Jess are perfect for each other. And they have a little boy named Christopher and Jess is pregnant again! Ooh! I hope I get to be the godmother!

"Well, Jess is different. She's family." I hastily say and pretend to arrange the flowers on the table. Luke gives a small smile. "Becky, really… We need to save our money too. Look at this house. How many things in here are actually mine?"

I take a look around the room. There are my bags displayed on a glass shelf complete with a lock, Minnie's topiary projects on every table, our slippers displayed at the side and the only things of Luke I see are the newspapers and his laptop.

"Oh. Well then, if that's the real issue then why don't _you_ go shopping to make it all fair. Why don't you just pop into Tiffany's and buy yourself a cute little charm bracelet-." I say quickly with emotion when Luke cuts me short.

"Christ Almighty, Becky! That is not my _fucking_ point. I'm just saying that we should at least lower our expenses." Luke says loudly and softens his voice. "The thing about selling our house in a week…I might not be kidding."

I look in his eyes sadly. I feel really bad now. I mean, Luke's worked hard for us and I should at least try to cooperate.

Suddenly, we hear the doorbell ring and Minnie comes into the room jumping a little. "He's here! Oh God, he's here!" Luke walks to the door, unlocks it and opens it…


	2. Chapter 2: Catered Trouble

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS IN THE SHOPAHOLIC SERIES. THEY ARE SOPHIE KINSELLA'S MASTERPIECE  
****BUT, THE PLOT IS ALL MY IDEA. **

******PLEASE READ AND REVIEW :D

* * *

**

**CHAPTER 2: CATERED TROUBLE**

I see a boy of about nineteen with messy sandy-colored hair and blue eyes. He politely greets us then he shakes Luke's hand and then mine. He smiles at Minnie and she smiles shyly back.

I lead the way to the dining room and wait until everyone is seated. I think I should attempt a little conversation. "So, er, Albert-"

"Jeremy." He corrects me politely. Oh fuck. Jeremy, that's it. Minnie and Luke both give a little giggle. Oh, it's funny, isn't it?

"Right. Jeremy. What is it that your parents do?" Then I take a long gulp of champagne. Jeremy finished chewing his steak before answering. "My father is a businessman. My mother already passed away so my grandma takes care of me. She owns a small restaurant."

"Oh God. I'm sorry to hear that your mother passed away. That must've been awful." I say slowly. I feel really bad for this boy. Wow, I can't even imagine losing _my_ mum. I gulp and take another swig of champagne. I should not be thinking about this.

"Yes, ma'am. But my granny acts like my real mother. Her cooking cheered me up, really. It was hard to believe she's my mum's mother." He gives a little chuckle. "My mother can't even chop an onion." I freeze. Relax, Becky. There is no fucking way that anyone would know.

Luke smiles and leans closer across the table. "You know, we're lucky that _my_ wife can cook. Becky probably takes after her mother." He turns and smiles at me. I smile weakly back.

"Yes, Mrs. Brandon. This chicken tastes really good." He says to me with a big smile. Again, I smile weakly back. I can't keep this up anymore. "It almost takes like my grandma's specialty."

We all watch him take another bite. "In fact, it tastes the same. And, the same vegetables in the salad are here too. And, that's my granny's recipe for pasta too." Oh, fucketty fuck. I feel the color being drained from my face. Luke slowly turns to me and has a look of confusion on his face. I hastily look away and make the mistake of catching Minnie's eyes. She was nearly in tears.

Oh God. What have I gotten myself into? I take another gulp of champagne. Jeremy looks at me with confusion, too. "I-I don't know. I found the recipe off the internet…"

"My granny's original recipe is on the internet?" he looks awestruck. I can't blame him. Luke suddenly stands up. "Becky, can we talk in private?" I attempt a little laugh and fail. "We're having dinner, darling." He looks at me with his mouth open. "All right. Just for a while. Do excuse us." I say to the two teens. Jeremy still looks confused but nodded. Minnie had a tear already rolling down her cheek. I can't believe it. I disappointed my own daughter.

Luke takes me to his study. I close my eyes and ready myself for his sermon. Then I open them again and see that Luke was angry. "Becky, please tell me that you did not steal the recipe of Jeremy's grandmother's food."

"I didn't!" I say indignantly then I add a bit sheepishly. "I-I-I bought them. I bought the food from her restaurant." Luke stares at me silently, opening and closing his mouth as though he can't find words to say.

"Becky, I thought you _cooked_ them not _bought_ them. Why didn't you just tell me?" he says angrily. "And to think that I even told the grandson of the woman you bought the food from that you could cook. Why did you do it? Why did you have to lie?"

"I don't know!" I reply. "I don't know, okay?! I just don't." Luke's face softens a little and he rubs his temples. "Becky, come here." I move closer to him as he hugs me tightly. Then, he laughs.

"Luke! This isn't funny at all!" How could he laugh? Oh no, he's really getting old. "Becky, it's just that at forty-seven, you still manage to do this." I narrow my eyes at him. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, this! You're still the same when you were twenty-five!" He laughs again. I look around and punch him lightly on his shoulder. "I can't believe you just said my age out loud!" He laughs a little louder. "So what? I'm fifty-four!"

I try silencing him. I cannot let him tell other people that we're old. "Maybe we should go back to the dining room. So what's our story?"

"Let's tell that boy Jeremy that I cooked the food at my friend Suze's place and took his granny's food, which Suze ordered, by mistake."

"Right." He nods and we head back to the dining room. We can see Minnie crying in Jeremy's arms and he gently comforts her. Luke told him the story and everything goes back to normal. Which isn't any better because it's still a bit awkward.

But still, we manage to finish the dinner without any other dramatic scene, thank fucking God. Finally, Jeremy says that he should go because it was getting late. Minnie asks us to give them privacy and I agree, encouraging them even. While Luke , he only reluctantly agreed. Luke is _so _unfair. I mean, can't he remember how he was when he was a teenager?

He finally relaxes as Minnie comes back. "So mum, dad. What do you think of him?" I give her a very big smile. "He's lovely darling! Really wonderful." I look at Luke and poke him on the shoulder. "I think he is nice, Minnie. Very well brought up." And, I believe that I didn't let my daughter down as she beamed at us and hummed a song which means that she was happy.

And I am, if she is.


	3. Chapter 3: Coolest Mum Ever

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY.  
THEY ARE THE MASTERPIECES OF SOPHIE KINSELLA. BUT, THE PLOT IS ALL MY IDEA.  
PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! :D**

CHAPTER 3-THE COOLEST MUM EVER

I wake up the next morning with a splitting headache. Last night was an absolute nightmare. And I shouldn't think about it anymore. I should find something to distract me. I can't shop because Luke banned me. I should just think of this as a sort of…challenge. Right. That's it.

I get out of bed and change out of my nightie. I went downstairs to fix some breakfast. You know, the truth is, I really _can_ cook. Okay, fine. I can cook eggs and bacon and that's pretty much it. But I once cooked a curry once for me and Suze! But then it tasted really hot… Okay, this distracting thing is not working.

Minnie appears and she's wearing her jammies. She sits on a chair.

"So, I guess you had a good time last night." I say to her with a smile.

"Yes mum." She smiles back. "He's just so…so perfect." I smile again. "I know what you're feeling…I felt the same way when _I_ was nineteen. James Fullerton was equally romantic. But not as romantic and handsome as your father." I fry the eggs and put them on a small platter and hand it to her.

"Oh, mum. My credit card's already reached its limit." She says, buttering a piece of toast. I turn around, surprised.

"Already? But we just paid for it last month. Minnie, your dad and I will pay for it but please, try not to spend too much. Your father is worried that our expenses are rising." _Aargh!_ I can't believe it. I'm turning into one of them. And by 'them' I'm referring to those mums who talk like…mums! This is so freaky. But in a weird way, kinda cool. I'm a mum!

"Yeah, right." She replies as if I was joking. "Darling, I'm not joking." She looks at me silently. "Well that's bloody great, then." She says, letting go of the bread knife she was using for buttering the toast.

"What? Watch your language, young lady!" Young lady? Oh no, I _am_ turning into one of _them_! She looks at me with angry eyes.

"No. I won't because I don't have to! This is so bloody unfair, mum! When you were twenty-five you had a big debt. Same when you were twenty-six, twenty-seven and so on." I can't believe that I'm fighting with my daughter.

"Minnie, stop it! I was twenty-five. _Twenty-five. _I was older than eighteen! And I worked. I had a job and sold all my stuff to earn money. But you, we have to pay for everything you spend!" I cry loudly.

"Mum, please! Dad told me. He told me that he paid all your debts after your round-the-world honeymoon! And now, look who's lecturing me! I cannot believe how bloody messed up we are here." She gets up and runs up the stairs into her room.

I give a little scream. Luke comes into the room. "Morning, darling." He greets me.

"What was that all about?" I tell Luke what happened. And in the end, I am quite breathless to be honest. And Luke, I cannot believe this is happening again, laughs. Yep, he laughed. I am feeling quite irritated and he calms me down.

"Becky…" Luke says soothingly. "Calm down, darling. I'll try to talk to her." I look at Luke's face and wonder, is he feeling cool too now that he's a dad? Hmm…probably not. Luke's all business-like except when we're in bed.

Luke disappears up the stairs to talk to Minnie. God, that was a nightmare. I look for some aspirin in the medicine cabinet and pop two into my mouth and I slowly massage my temples.

Where did she get that attitude from, anyway? I was never like that. Then a horrible idea hit me and my body feels cold all over.

Oh my God. What if she got that attitude from Elinor? That's Luke's cow of a mother. But then, she's not a shopaholic.

Or _is_ she?

Moments later, Luke reappears and I look at him anxiously. "How did it go?" Luke sighs and looks at me for a while.

"Becky, she's pretty upset, that's what I can tell you." He says, making a cup of coffee. "And, she also told me that you were accusing her of spending a lot."

My jaw drops open in shock. "That wasn't like that at all! I didn't _accuse_ her. I just told her that we'll pay for her bills and maybe she could try not to spend too much next time."

Luke takes a sip from his coffee and looks at me again. "Becky, darling, I don't know who to believe. But can you try not to tell her to spend less—?"

"That's unfair!" I cut him off childishly. "You always tell and warn _me_ not to spend too much _and_ you tell me to stick to a bloody budget."

"Becky, please! I wasn't even done yet. As I was saying, can you to try not to tell her to spend less unless you spend less too?"

Oh, that's mean.

Luke leans on the kitchen counter, cradling his mug and smiles at me. I don't smile back. Why should I? I mean, he fought with me, didn't he? I mean, _I'm _the victim! I can just see the papers: Rebecca Brandon, nee Bloomwood was beaten up by her husband Luke when she only tried to have a grown-up conversation.

Okay, maybe not like that. Scratch that thought.

Luke fumbles for the newspaper while I sit down on a kitchen chair. I think about Minnie again. Oh fuck, what am I gonna do?

You know what? I'm gonna fix everything! Luke and I wanted a baby when we were on a honeymoon and we're not gonna lose this one! I stand up from the chair and walk to the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Luke looks up from the newspaper to me. I consider not answering him. But then, that would be un-mummyish and unsupportive-wife-like.

"I'm going to talk to my daughter. What else?"

Luke smiles at me. "I knew you'd do that, Becky." I smile back at him and walk up the stairs.

This is it. I'm talking to my child and make up with her. I'm the coolest mum ever!


	4. Chapter 4: Shopaholic Vs Shopaholic

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY.  
THEY ARE THE MASTERPIECES OF SOPHIE KINSELLA. BUT, THE PLOT IS ALL MY IDEA.  
PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! :D**

CHAPTER 4-SHOPAHOLIC VS SHOPAHOLIC

Okay, I'm at her door now. I knock carefully on the door. "Minnie?" I hear a muffled response that I can't make out.

"Darling, I can hear an apologetic hushed response and I know how you feel. It's okay. I feel the same way." No response.

"Minnie?" I repeat and knock again three times just to make sure. The muffled response gets clearer.

"I said 'Fuck off mum!'"

That was embarrassing. I just told my daughter I feel the same way as her when she said 'fuck off'. But no, I'm not gonna let that faze me. I open the door and find Minnie engrossed in her mini computer.

"Minnie, I know you are angry and I understand that. I was angry too. Honey, we shouldn't fight like this. Maybe we should talk about our spending addictions and –er-do our accounts probably…"

I cannot believe I just said 'do our accounts'. That's the kind of thing Jess would say.

Minnie looks at me angrily, not the least bit fazed by my little speech.

"Mum, stop trying to be smooth and motherly, okay? Can you just leave me at peace here?"

I gape at her. Okay, now that has got to be Elinor inside her. I was never like that with my mum, ever.

"Minnie, can you please just remove your face from your mini-computer and talk to me like an adult—"

"It's a laptop." She rolls her eyes. "Ha! Mini Computer."

Oh my God, I am so uncool. But anyway, I shouldn't let this stop me.

"Minnie—"

"Mum, fuck off!" she screams loudly.

That did it! I move a couple of steps toward her.

"Did you just tell me to fuck off?" I ask her incredulously. She gives me a look that says, "Duh?" I move closer to her and close her damn laptop. "Where did you even learn the word 'fuck'? Your friends are all bad influences on you! Can't you choose friends who are appropriate—"

"Oh so now you're picking on my friends? Mum, can't you just let me live my life?" she asks me angrily as she opens her laptop again.

I consider telling her that she's grounded for life. But, she might think I _am_ a total cow. "I'm gonna let you live your life. But do you think you can survive without this?" I point at her laptop. I'm sorry, I just can't resist it. I need to punish her otherwise she won't learn anything.

I take her laptop and slam the door hard. I walk down the stairs and stare at the pink laptop. How the fuck do I shut this down? I'm not used with these little computers, only those PCs. Anyway, I'll just ask Luke to handle it for me.

"How'd it go, sweetheart?" Luke asks me, reading his files from work. He owns his own company, Brandon Communications. I find his work interesting actually. But some of them are really boring.

"Ugh!" I scream. "It was difficult! She kept saying the word 'fuck'! Then I told her that maybe her friends were bad influences and then she screamed—" I pause and sigh. The aspirin I took did not seem to work.

"I can't do this!" I look at Luke hopelessly. "It's really hard, Luke. I don't know how Suze does it! She's a really good mum and I can't even—"

"Becky, calm down." Luke sits beside me and he puts his files in separate folders and into his briefcase. "I know this must be hard for you. Because it is to me, too. Minnie's at a difficult stage. She's at her teens and she needs to go where the others are. You know how it is, Becky B, don't you?"

I stare at him, wondering what to say. Actually, I _don't _know how it is. I was never like that with my mum. Neither was Luke, his stepmum Annabel is a saint.

"Yeah, I guess I do. Oh, I took her laptop, can you shut it down for me?"

Luke examines the laptop and faces me again with a look of confusion on his face.

"Don't ask. And don't return that to her!" I say to him, hands under my chin. Luke shrugs and shuts it down and closes it."

"Becky, I think you need to talk to Suze." Luke suggests.

I brighten up with the idea. That's right! Suze would know what to do. She's an expert and she has four kids: Ernie, Clementine, Wilfrid and Trudy. I speed dial Suze's number and wait as it rings.

"Hello? Bex? How was the dinner?" Suze asks as Luke disappears to the living room. I butter a piece of toast furiously and sigh.

"Suze, it was terrible! The boy was nice but he was the grandson of the food I ordered!" I reply, munching on the toast.

"Bex!" she laughs. "I can't believe that! Anyway, I'm sorry! I should've recommended a better caterer. Probably an old Indian woman miles away. Minnie wouldn't date an Indian, would she?"

"Suze! Don't be stupid, of course she won't. And anyway, that's not what I wanted to talk about."

"Oh, right. Trudy, darling, please turn the TV off for a moment. So what did you want to talk about?"

"Er, Suze. I wanted to ask you about Minnie. She's been spending a lot lately. And, I wanted to talk to her about it but she made a few remarks and we ended up having a huge row. What should I do, Suze? It's really hard and I feel hopeless. I don't know how _you_ do it. And you've got _four _children." I say breathlessly. This is really hard.

"Bex, come on. It can't be _that _bad. And anyway, I'm not that good with children. I started off worse than you. You just have to listen to them, Bex. Really understand how they feel. And, what remarks did she say to you anyway?" Suze asks and I don't quite know how to put it.

"Well, the kind of remarks…" I lower my voice to make sure Luke won't listen to a thing. "…_Elinor_ would make."

Suze gasps. "No! Elinor as in your cow-of-a-mother-in-law? Is she that bitchy? Oops, sorry. I didn't mean that."

"Don't worry, Suze. I'll try talking to her later. But, I doubt that it will make her understand anything. I just confiscated her laptop." I inform her, eating the last of my toast.

"Oh, okay. But Bex, don't give up! Never! You're good at this, aren't you? You helped me with Ernie when he was born so you can do this!"

"Thanks, Suze. You're a star."

"Thanks, Becky. And look for something that could cheer you up!" Suze says and the phone went dead.

Oh shit. I forgot to charge it yesterday. Oh, well.

I look around the room and digested everything Suze just told me. And anyway, she's right. I should look for something to cheer me up. I scan the room again, looking for something.

Something that can distract me.

Something I love.

Ooh! Shopping!


	5. Chapter 5: Online Morning

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY.  
THEY ARE THE MASTERPIECES OF SOPHIE KINSELLA. BUT, THE PLOT IS ALL MY IDEA.  
PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! :D**

**CHAPTER 5-ONLINE MORNING**

Okay, before you say anything…

I know I said 'Ooh, shopping!' and you must've thought 'Becky said she won't go shopping! She promised Luke!' Well don't get overexcited because I won't go shopping today. Even though Luke is at work, and he'll never know.

But what else could I do? I can't just go into the V&A Museum again. It gets so bloody tiring walking. Maybe I should visit Suze. Her house isn't too far away from here. And yes! I could talk to her children! Ernie's nineteen and all grown up now! Okay, that's what I'll I do. Oh no, I forgot that the whole family's going to Suze's parents' place.

Hmph.

I eat my last piece of toast and walk up the stairs into the bedroom Luke and I share. I take a shower and get dressed and arrange my make-up and hair. I look at myself in the mirror.

I look kinda good. Nice, black top and some tight jeans. I sit down on the cream comfy couch and stare at the room miserably. What the hell can I do? Ooh, maybe I can drive around in our family car.

Oh right. Luke took it to work today.

Okay, I know you're wondering why I'm not at work. I worked at The Look for a very long time but it once again went bust just a few months ago. I've been meaning to look for a new job at a department store or clothes store but apparently people don't hire 'old people'. Damn them.

I look at the bed and see Minnie's laptop on it. Hmmm…I wonder…

I walk over to the bed and open the laptop. Right. How do I turn it on? I jab at a few buttons on it and nothing happens. I remember during my first date with Luke and Suze suggested that I bring her laptop. I had to press a little button near the keypad or keyboard or whatever you call it.

I press a little circle button and punch the air with my fist in glee. Yes! I turned it on. Then what else? A picture of Minnie appears and now it's asking me for a bloody password.

I type in _Minnie. _Access denied. What would Minnie use as a password? Her boyfriend! Now, what's his name again? Albert? Or was it—"

Oh right, Jeremy.

I type _Jeremy _slowly and press Enter. Yes! I look at the desktop and see that the wallpaper is of Minnie and Jeremy. I click 'Internet' and type 'f'. Some web addresses appear. On top of the list is 'facebook'.

Facebook?

Then I type 'h' and on top of the list is . ? I don't like the sound of that. I click on the link and a page appears. I can see that Minnie's account is still logged in: _AllySmithGal90210._ What does this website do anyway?

Oh, I see. This website is where people can post problems and other users can help them. This is so cool! I feel like screaming "Look at me! I'm a mum and I'm on the internet!" I drag the mouse to click on a problem: _Which is better: Donna Karan or Vera Wang? _Oh fuck. The cursor-thingy won't move. I bang the mouse and stare at the screen.

Oh great, I clicked on a problem. I read the problem: _I'm having a huge row with my mum right now and she can't understand why I need to spend my money. I just told her earlier that my limit was up and I just couldn't tell her the truth why I'm spending it. If she knew, she'd go ballistic! Especially my dad. What should I do? Should I tell my mum about my problem? –AllySmithGal90210_

Wow. What a dilemma! I'm thinking of telling her not to tell her mum because then she'd be grounded—

Wait. AllySmithGal90210? Isn't that Minnie's account? Oh fuck. She's talking about me, isn't she? I click Home and Sign-Up.

Username? Er, **ShopaholicMum17**.

Password? _Yummymummy_.

I type in my e-mail and other details and go back to Minnie's problem. Right. I'm gonna tell her to come clean and I'm sure that her mum will understand.

_I think you need to tell your mum the truth, _I type.

_She'll surely understand. All mums are like that and at first you'll think that she won't understand. Tell her your problem. She might be able to help you. _

I press Send and smile to myself. Now, Minnie will surely tell me. Or, she might not. Would she actually listen to a stranger on the internet? Oh well, at least I tried.

I close the window in the computer. Back to boredom. What else should I do now? Wait, why should I stop using the internet? What else can I do?

I click on and wait for the page to load.

Fuck. These are slow aren't they? I feel like banging the laptop and smashing it into pieces. Finally, the page finished loading. Minnie's account is still logged in and I can see her e-mail: .

I click on the games at the side and begin to play Café World on facebook. God, this is addictive, isn't it? I click and click on stuff and laugh out loud. This is fun!

Moments later, I close the window and look for another website. I don't know what websites I'm landing on now but this is really addictive! I should've used the internet a long time ago. Maybe I should buy my own laptop. I'll have it purple with pretty butterfly and glitters on its cover.

Oh, no. Luke banned me to buy anything else. He's such a meanie. He won't let me do anything! Well, fine. I can make money. I'll look for another job and earn loads of money. Maybe I should even open my own company. A _rival _company to Brandon Communications.

Oh, this is weird. Why am I getting all these weird thoughts?

Three hours later, I massage my numb hand. Wow, that was fun! I can't get facebook out of my head for some reason. Maybe I should return Minnie's laptop to her. I have my reasons.

First, I want her to see my comment at . And two because I should at least get rid of some of the hatred she's storing inside. I shut down the laptop liked how Luke told me and carry it to Minnie's room.

I knock at the door loudly. No response. I knock again. No response again. This is really getting hard because I might drop the laptop. It's getting heavier.

"Minnie?" I ask loudly. Maybe she's asleep. I open the door and almost drop the laptop in shock!

Minnie…

She's…she's…

Oh God… This can't be happening!

She's GONE!


	6. Chapter 6: Missing Minnie

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY.  
THEY ARE THE MASTERPIECES OF SOPHIE KINSELLA. BUT, THE PLOT IS ALL MY IDEA.  
PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! :D**

**CHAPTER 6-MISSING MINNIE**

Oh God. Where is she?

I open her closet and find it empty. Oh God. Oh God, no.

I drop the laptop on her bed and wander inside her room. She's not in the bathroom. Maybe she's just downstairs. Then I stop. Would she bring her clothes downstairs? Very unlikely.

My eyes focus on the window. Oh fucketty-fuck.

There's a rope hanging down on it. Bloody hell. Where did she learn rope tricks and tying knots? Did she get that from Elinor too?

I lie down on Minnie's bed and try calming myself. Why did she leave?

Oh God. This is not happening. Maybe I should call Luke. But then he'd get home and be all angry. He'd ask me why I didn't watch her. I have to find her!

I go back to our bedroom and get my purse. I call a taxi and ask him to take me to Jeremy's house. She might be there. No, she is there. I'm sure she's there.

I ring the doorbell. Jeremy answers the door, his hair messy. "Er, hi Mrs. Brandon."

I give him a small smile and ask myself if I'm really gonna ask him where the hell my daughter is. "Hi Albert-"

"Jeremy." He corrects me. He doesn't look annoyed. But he will be, I'm sure. I should do this on purpose! And if he gets angry, I'll tell him he's not worthy of Minnie after all. If I ever find her.

Stop it. I will find her. Of course I will.

"Haha. Right Jeremy." I laugh shrilly. "Listen, is Minnie there?" He looks at me with confusion.

"No, Mrs. Brandon. She's not here."

"Oh, right." I think I should believe this boy. He's only saying the truth.

Or is he?

"Oh, I'm sure. You mind if I come in?" I ask him innocently, flicking my hair about.

"Uh, yeah sure. Come on in." He walks me inside and I run around the house like a crazed woman.

"Minnie? Are you there?"

Jeremy looks at me as if I was going mad. Maybe I am. But then again, maybe not.

"I already told you, Mrs. Brandon. She's not here." I narrow my eyes at him. I don't believe him one bit.

I run around some more and end up in a place that looks like his room. On top of his bedside table is a picture of him and Minnie. She must be hiding here somewhere.

I mean, where else would she go? Unless she had another boyfriend? Which she's keeping a secret? Oh my God, what if he had pierced…nipples? Like that bloke Lucy, Tom's ex-wife, ran off with.

No. I raised Minnie well enough for her not to run off with someone with a pierced nipple.

But if I raised her well, why did she run away? Oh bloody hell. This is something I should not be thinking about.

"Minnie? Darling, I know you're here. Come home, now!" I turn around and see Jeremy looking at me puzzledly.

Oh, he's good. He should take up acting. "Look, I know she's here, okay? You don't have to hide her." He opens his mouth to say something but I run to the bathroom in his room.

The curtains of the shower are closed. Aha! I open them and cry, "GOTCHA!"

Oh. Oh fuck. She's really not here, huh? Damn.

"Mrs. Brandon, Minnie is not here." Jeremy appears behind me. "Do you think I'll hide your daughter? Well, I have no intention of doing that."

"Er…" God, this is so embarrassing. I knew I should've believed him. "Oh right. I'm sorry. It's just that…"

I wipe my sweaty brow with my hand.

"She's, er, missing." I say, looking down. Damn this boy. Can't I not be humiliated in front of him? What is bloody wrong with me?

"She is?" I look up at him and see that he was concerned. Genuinely, one hundred percent concerned. I can't help feeling touched for Minnie. This boy really loves her, doesn't he?

"Erm, yeah. D'you have any idea where she might be?" I ask him hopefully. He might know. He just might know.

And anyway, he _should _know. He's her boyfriend, for Christ's sake!

"Well," he clears his throat and thinks silently. "She might be in the shops…"

I consider his idea. Yes, she might be in the shops. That's what she loves, isn't it?

But, she brought her clothes with her, didn't she? Argh, this is a nightmare!

"No." I shake my head and explain. We both sigh helplessly and he thinks again. I look at him again. I feel different towards him.

And no, not the kind of different you're thinking…

But the kind of different that means he's…he's really nice. And kind of good-looking too. This just shows it! Minnie has absolute good taste.

Which, I am sure, she got from me. Not that I'm smug about it or anything. But, a little confidence helps boost your…er, whatever it is that needs boosting. Your confidence. Yeah, that's right.

"She might be at Jilly's!" Jeremy shouts suddenly and I jump back a little. Goodness.

"She might be at Jilly's." he repeats softly, looking embarrassed. Er, who?

"Jilly? I don't know a Jilly!" I exclaim loudly, almost jumping a little. Jilly? Where do I know a Jilly? Nothing comes in mind. Probably because I _don't _know a bloody Jilly. What comes to mind is that Jennifer girl.

Er, Jeniffer… Oh . Jennifer Tilly. Right. I knew that it wasn't a Jilly at all.

"Jilly Hitchcock? You know, Minnie's best friend?" he says slowly. Minnie's best friend? I didn't know Jilly even had a best friend! She didn't tell me anything.

Oh God. I didn't even know my daughter's best friend! I am such an unsupportive mum! Anyway, Jilly Hitchcock? The only thing that comes to mind is…

Is…erm…I'm really embarrassed about it now. But come one, it's funny. _Hitch_ and _cock_. Wow, that is so not what a mum should think about.

"So where does this Jilly, er, Hitchcock live?" I musn't laugh. But I can't help but get the image of…something being hitched and cocked. Jeremy looks at me with a weird expression on his face. He must think I'm going mad! Laughing to myself like a mad woman.

He writes Jilly's address on a piece of paper and gives it to me. I hastily thank him and hail another cab. This is so bloody tiring. Even more tiring than walking around a museum.

The driver stops the cab and turns to me. "We're here, love." I step out of the cab and pay the driver and stare at the house in front of me.

Okay, I'm here. Here I go. I walk to the door and ring the doorbell.


	7. Chapter 7: Monster Mother in Law

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY.  
BUT, THE PLOT IS ALL MY IDEA.  
PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! YOUR REVIEWS INSPIRE ME TO KEEP THIS STORY GOING. :D**

**CHAPTER 7-MONSTER MOTHER-IN-LAW**

Why isn't anyone answering the door?

I ring the doorbell for the second time. Dammit. No footsteps are approaching. I turn around and sit down on the steps.

Where is she? How can she disappear like that? I bury my head in my hands and give a little cry of fury. This is so hard.

"Rebecca." I hear a crisp American drawl say. I look up and wish that I didn't. I stare at the limousine behind her and stare back at her again.

Fuck! Of all the bloody…

"Elinor." I reply with the same icy expression she's using. I can't believe it. Why Elinor? Why this bloody cow?

Okay, I know that she's my mother-in-law but come on, she's a total cow. I don't want to tell you the whole story because I if I do, I might dwell on the past and slap her fake over-surgery plastic face.

"How very unusual to find you here." She says, her mouth moving a few millimeters. Even though I hate her, I've got to admit it. She still looks immaculate even at her old age.

"How very unusual to find _you _here." I reply and stand up, fixing my shirt and wondering what I look like in my smeared mascara and red face. "Anyway, what brings you here?"

Oh right. I forgot to say that she lives in New York. And frankly, I'm hoping she'll never ever step foot in Britain ever again.

Oh well. Wishes don't always come true.

"Business matters, Rebecca. And personal issues." Elinor says, looking distastefully at my shoes. "You're shoes are a bit battered."

You see? That's how big a bitch she is. Damn her. How can she even be mean at her age? She must be about eighty or something.

I stare at her shoes. They're D&G and I saw them at a shop. They cost a bloody fortune.

I look at the long, jeweled cane she's holding for support. I imagine that she didn't want to sit on a wheelchair. She probably threatened to sue if she's ever presented with a wheelchair.

"Personal issues?" I ask her, smirking a little. That's not a surprise at all. "What kind of personal issues?"

She looks at me silently for a moment. "Rebecca, you do know the meaning of personal, don't you? Something that is kept secret?"

I roll my eyes at her. "Of course I do. But to begin with, I wanted to ask you what brought you here. As in this place. This house in front of us.

"I did not intend to go here. I had a talk with someone from this neighborhood because I was interested to buy his mansion." She replies crisply, clutching her crocodile Kelly bag.

"You're staying?" I ask her as my mouth opens in shock. "Er, I mean how come you bought it?"

Elinor fixes the diamond bracelet she is wearing and faces me again. "It's just a place I could stay in when I visit Britain. There are no decent hotels here, aren't they?"

Uh-huh. We don't have old, monster mother-in-laws lurking around here, too.

"Anyway, what are you doing here, Rebecca?" She asks me coldly. I can't believe her really. Aren't old ladies supposed to be nice and wear those horrible dresses while knitting? Can't Elinor learn how to knit? Or be nice?

Doubt it.

I stare at her outfit. I don't think she'll ever wear a horrible dress. But frankly, neither would I.

"I'm here to visit an old friend. There are some things I want to catch-up with her." I reply. I can't bloody well say, "I'm looking for my daughter, Minnie. She just disappeared and I was wondering if she might be here."

"And I also wanted to talk to you, Rebecca." Elinor says, her eyes as cold as ever. "I received an e-mail my granddaughter."

My mouth drops open in shock. What?

Minnie's been contacting her? And Elinor knows how to e-mail? Oh my God. The world has turned up-side-down.

"What did she say?" I manage to ask after closing my mouth.

"She said you were being difficult. Not understanding how she felt." Elinor replies firmly. "That's why I wanted to ask you if you'll permit me to take her to America."

"What? No!" I cry furiously. "Do you think that could solve things?"

"I just need to take her away from you." She says even more firmly.

My hearts stops. "What did you say?"

"You heard me, Rebecca."

"Well, you're wrong! She won't like it in America! I've tried for her not to contact you by any means and now you're saying that you're taking her away with you?" I ask her incredulously. Seriously, this woman has gone mad.

"If you know what's best for your daughter, you _will _agree." She says. I'm itching to say what I really feel. But I musn't let my mouth—

"Best for my daughter? You didn't even know what's best for your son! You're taking her away from me? Why do you have to make our life miserable?"

"That is enough!" Elinor says loudly. "I've made a mistake then, Rebecca. That was what I thought was good."

"You're making another mistake now! Elinor, you're trying to make our life miserable again! You nearly ruined our wedding and now our family?!" I cry, tears now springing in my eyes.

"Believe me. You're the only one going to be miserable. I will make sure your daughter will be in good hands with about it, Rebecca."

"I don't need to think about it." I reply, furiously brushing off my tears. "My answer's no. And that's final."

"I changed my mind." Elinor sneers a little. "Let's ask your daughter to make the decision."

More tears form in my eyes. I'm afraid.

I'm afraid that Minnie'll say yes. I can't let that happen. I close my eyes for a moment and face Elinor.

"Give her time to think." I respond finally. Elinor gives a little nod and steps back into her limousine. I can't lose Minnie. But how can I not lose her, when I've lost her already? I don't know where she is. I bite my lip and fight back my tears.


	8. Chapter 8: Jilly Hitchcock

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY.  
BUT, THE PLOT IS ALL MY IDEA.  
PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! READ ON TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT :D**

**CHAPTER 8-JILLY HITCHCOCK**

Bloody Elinor…bloody…bloody…cow…

I try stopping the tears that were falling from my eyes. They won't stop.

I can't lose Minnie! I wipe my tears furiously and ring the doorbell of the house again.

Oh God. Why isn't anyone answering the door? Honestly, I'm going mad here. I ring the doorbell again. No answer again.

_Aargh!_ I punch the button several times consecutively. Open the bloody door and let me in!

Then, to my relief, a woman in a uniform appears. The maid, most probably. "Good afternoon."

"Oh, hi." I say to her, trying to get a glimpse of the room behind her. "I'm looking for Jilly Hitchcock. Is she here?"

"Yes, madam. She's upstairs. May I ask who's asking for her?"

"Er, tell her it's Rachel."

The maid narrows her eyes at me. "Rachel who?"

For goodness' sake! "Just tell her it's Rachel."

She reluctantly lets me in and lets me sit down on a comfy luxurious sofa. What if Minnie's not here? Where else would I look? I bounce up and down on the sofa with my bum and it's surprisingly fun. I do it again and again and feel my sadness melt away a little…

"Hey?" I stop bouncing and look at the owner of the voice. A girl. She has long black hair and black eyes and a skinny frame.

I stand up and look at her sheepishly. She didn't see anything, did she? What am I talking about? Of course she did.

She looks at me and nods. "Yeah, I'm Jilly. Who are you? Rachel somebody…isn't it?"

Okay. Do I tell her that I'm Minnie's mum? If I do and if Minnie's really here, she might not let me see her. Quick, invent a name!

Umm… "No, it's Alicia…erm…Billington." Damn. Of all the names, I had to say Alicia Bitch Longlegs'. Don't ask who she is, I am _not_ in the mood.

"Alicia." She repeats, fixing her hair. "Hey, I know you! You're the one from…"

I freeze. Oh fuck. She must have heard about Alicia! If she says from "Brandon Communications and ruined Becky Brandon's life…" I am going to run.

Seriously, I will.

"You're the one from that pub, aren't you?" She says, scrunching up her nose, lost in thought. "The Three Lions, isn't it?"

What? "Er, yeah." I hastily say. "Yeah. How come you noticed me?" I give a shrill laugh.

"I talked to you!" She says, offended. "Remember?"

I pretend to slap my forehead and say, "Oh yeah! I remember you now!"

"But I thought your name was Francine Wilson." She says, confused.

Damn. _Damn_. Come on, think of something.

"Oh. Er, yeah." I say quickly, saying what's jumping into mind. "I have lots of names: Francine Wilson, Alicia Billington and, er, Rachell….um…Berry."

Rachel Berry? Where did I get that from?

"Ohh!" Jilly exclaims. "That's cool so what are you doing here?"

Looking for my daughter. She's lost. Maybe you know where she is?

"I would like to offer you this coupon for, er, free cocktails for two." I say, randomly grabbing an old BINGO ticket.

"No boys allowed." I add for good measure. Now, all I have to do is pray that she will call Minnie and tell her the news. And believe my totally con ticket.

"Oh my God! That's so cool!" She takes the BINGO ticket and doesn't even checks it. "I'm gonna take my best friend! She's upstairs! Thanks, uh, Francine, or Alicia or Rachel."

Minnie's here? Oh my God, she's here. Please call her. Please call her.

"Erm, your best friend, huh?" I ask casually. Cool. Keep cool, Becky.

"Yeah," she says unwrapping a piece of gum and popping it into her mouth. "She ran away from home. Her mum stole her laptop, can you believe the bitch?"

My heart stops. Bitch? I'm not a bitch! "Well, maybe she just wanted her to learn!" I blurt out without thinking.

"Huh?" She asks.

"Er, nothing." I reply.

"Anyway, yeah I love my best friend but sometimes I think that she doesn't appreciate her mum. Like now, she ran away and left her mother her credit card bills. She's a bitch. But mind you, I am too." She says with a smile.

Oh. This Jilly's nice. She can think.

"Yeah." I say with a little smile. At least someone understands. "So, what does this Minnie look like?"

She stops chewing her gum. "How come you knew her name? I didn't even tell you yet!"

Oh shit. _Shit_.

"Yes you did!" I cry as convincingly as I can. Okay, if she says "No, I didn't", I'll say, "Yes you di-id!" And then she'll say, "No, I di-in't!" And then we'll end up laughing and find Minnie…

"Oh, right." She says, breaking off my thoughts. She's not so smart after all. "Let me call her." She runs near the stairs and shouts, "Bitch, come on down here!"

She walks back here and I spot Minnie running down the stairs. "What?"

She walks until she was beside Jilly. And right in front of me.

"Oh, shit." She mutters slowly as she sees me. "Jilly, what the fuck is going on?"

"Oh, Minnie." She says. "This is Rachel Berry and she's—"

"She's my mum." Minnie cuts her off.

"Rachel's your mum? But she's a bartender!" Jilly exclaimes incredulously.

"You've been eating the shit she was feeding you, Jill." Minnie says, rolling her eyes. "Her name's Becky, not bloody Rachel. She's the one off Glee."

"Oh right." Jilly says, looking stupid.

"Minnie, you're coming with me. Let's go home, now!" I say, trying to keep calm.

Normally, I could do this. But a lot of thoughts are swarming in my head. Our fight…Her credit card bills…losing her…facebook…

Facebook? I still can't get Café World out of my head, I guess.

"Mum, I am not going home unless you return my laptop." She says through gritted teeth.

"Deal." I say immediately and she looks surprised. "One condition though, talk to me like an adult."

Minnie stares at the ground. "Fine."

There is a moment of silence and Jilly goes into the kitchen to give us privacy. About time.

"Mum, I'm sorry I ran away—" She says, now crying. I rest my hand on her shoulder and smile at her. "It's okay. I understand."

Minnie mumbles silently, "I love you, mum." She looks into my eyes and looks afraid. Genuinely afraid that I might not say, "I love you" back.

"I love you too, Min." I hug her close and let the tears flow. I'm patching up things with her. I am not gonna let that cow Elinor take her away from me. No fucking way, over my dead body.


	9. Chapter 9: Doing Accounts

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY.  
BUT, THE PLOT IS ALL MY IDEA.  
PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! READ ON TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT :D**

**CHAPTER 9-DOING ACCOUNTS**

Thank God, I've finally found her. And, we've made up.

This means that I might stand a chance against Elinor.

Now, we're safely at home doing our accounts. Weird, I know. I never thought I'd ever do my accounts. I did my accounts with Jess years ago and all I ended up with is 'Hi I am Becky Bloomwood' doodles on the page.

I open another bill and stare at it. Bloody hell, four hundred pounds? I write that in my paper and sum it all up. I look at it in shock.

Two thousand nine hundred ninety-six pounds? Oh God. This is terrible. How can I pay for something this high? In this doesn't even include Minnie's debt yet. Damn.

"Er, darling. How much did you get?" I ask, trying to keep calm. Minnie looks at her paper and tiny dots of pink appear on her cheeks.

"Erm, Three thousand four hundred fifty-two pounds." What? That's higher than my debt! Bloody hell.

"How about you, mum?" She asks me, squinting at my paper.

"It's…enough." I say, folding the paper and adding it all up. Oh fuck. Where are we gonna get six thousand four hundred forty-eight pounds?

Minnie looks at me in dismay. "That high?" I nod at her.

We hear our car approaching and Luke strides down the room. "Hello, darlings." He kisses us both, putting down his briefcase.

"What are you doing?" He asks, looking at the papers and bills strewn all over the table.

"We're doing our accounts." I say to him proudly. Look who's the responsible mum now. Minnie nudges my arm and point at Luke's watch.

My mouth opens in shock. "Er, Luke….is that watch, say, new?"

"Yes." He smiles. "I thought about what you said earlier. I bought something for myself. I didn't exactly buy a charm bracelet from Tiffany…"

Ha-ha. Very funny. I stare at the paper again and sigh loudly. Aargh. Where am I gonna get six thousand five hundred pounds? Where?

Luke looks at the paper I'm holding. "Have you totaled it all up?" Shit.

"Yeah."

"How much is it?"

"You know…the normal amount." I say, my hands twisted in a nervous knot.

"Becky, I don't believe that for a second." He says, coming nearer and trying to grab the paper away from me. I pull on it. He must not see the final amount.

But, he successfully grabs it away from me. "Bloody hell! Six thousand pounds?"

He stares at the two of us, his face furious. Oh God. Then, his features soften as he says, "Okay. Okay. I'm leaving the two of you to pay this all off. I'm not going to help you because I've paid for your past debts."

What? I stare at Minnie and she shrugs. Fuck. What are we gonna do. I crumple the paper and look at Luke.

"Come on, Becky. You usually have spirit. You can do this." He squeezes my shoulder."Both of you can."

He hugs the two of us and retreats upstairs to our room. You know what? He's right. He's bloody right. I can do this. _We_ can do this. But what the fuck will we do.

"Any ideas, darling?" I ask her hopefully. Please let my daughter be an Einstein.

"Well," she begins. "We could auction off our stuff, like you did when you were twenty-six."

Brilliant idea. But no, I don't want to sell the stuff that I spent my money on and got me a debt. I shake my head at her.

"Or maybe…" she says. "We could open a business."

That's right! We could open a business! She's a genius! "Wonderful. Now, what kind of business, d'you think?"


End file.
